Monday, February 11, 2013

Presenting this gorgeous Grand Marnier soufflé to your
Valentine at the end of a romantic dinner would certainly impress, but imagine
actually making this while they watch.What a golden opportunity to show off
your cooking skills, and a flair for the dramatic; not to mention the countless
innuendos and double entendres
such a scene would afford. Afraid it won’t turn out, and you’ll completely embarrass
yourself? Too bad! No guts, no glory, and by “glory” we mean…glory.The good
news is, contrary to popular belief, and many cartoons, soufflés are actually
very easy to make. I hope after a few viewings of this video, and maybe a
practice run or two, you’ll realize just how simple this really is. Of course, to make things a little exciting you can
over-fill these like I did, which can cause some wild and unpredictably shaped
soufflé tops.

I think they still look super cool, but if you stop filling a
1/4-inch from the top, they generally will rise a little straighter. Having
said that, anyone who’d complain about the shape of a soufflé top has some
serious issues, and should probably be asked to leave immediately.

By the way, I do have a Crème Anglaise video recipe in the
works, but for now you’ll have to rely on the simple written recipe below. As I
mention in the clip, this is an extremely impressive dessert “as is,” but when
you pierce the top of that hot, steaming soufflé, and pour in the silky, sexy
sauce…well, you saw the video. Let’s just say it’s a very nice touch.

Speaking of nice touches, if you’re still looking for that
extra special Valentine’s Day dessert for your extra special Valentine, I hope
you’ll put aside your fears and give this a go. You really should get lots of
compliments. Enjoy!

Note: Mine were closer to 7-oz, which is why I overfilled
them as you saw. This amount of batter should fill two 8-oz ramekins. Amounts may vary depending on volume of your eggs/meringue, so don’t be
surprised if you have a little more or less.

Whisk everything together in a small, but heavy saucepan.
Place over med-low heat, and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula
being scraped across bottom, until the mixture is hot, and thickens slightly.
The mixture should not come to a simmer (but close). The temp should be around
180 degrees F. when it’s done. Remove from heat, strain to remove any
over-cooked particles of egg, and let cool. If you want, you can add some fresh orange zest to the sauce
as it cools. Serve ice cold with hot soufflé.View the complete sauce recipe

You can NOT make the batter hours ahead, it will collapse...You can make everyting ahead though, without mixing the eggwhites in, I would even beat the eggwhites minutes before mixing.The other stuff can be prepared..

Flashback a year ago and an amazing sexually filled chocolate souffle recipe and one Mary F who will forever live on in infamy on your website. Okay nothing like a sentence fragment to make a point is there, LOL. Thanks again for all the great recipes and I can't wait for all the fringe benefits that come with trying this souffle.

Hmm this is really interesting, chef John. I'm so used to making a pastry cream and then folding in a very stiff peak meringue. Are there any advantages/disadvantages to making this roux-based technique of yours? Thanks

I've made these before, but this recipe is inspiring in its straightforwardness. They came out great!

Just for the record, I made them in the morning and refrigerated until after dinner. They did not rise as much as in the video, but they were still awesome and delicious.

The creme anglaise is actually more of a pain to make. How long is it supposed to take? Mine took forever, about 20 minutes, and never quite made it to 180 deg. But it was still delicious. The temptation to turn up the heat was very strong, but I was afraid I would scorch it.

Thanks for this FABULOUS recipe. i made it for Vday. I will work on it again. I found it hard to follow video as I made it. Now will have to clean iPad! When you recipe book is published put this in it. it was the ultimate creamy smooth yummy dessert. I made the meringue up after our main course. It did not rise as high, used 8 inch souffle dishes and next time will use smaller ones like you made so i get that height.

I actually made this last night and the results were decidedly mixed. I followed your recipe faithfully. The only changes were that I used three 5 oz ramekins since I didn't have 8 oz ones. And I used all purpose "unbleached" flour. In your video although the dough is a lump when you transfer it to the mixing bowl, it turns into a thick liquid after you have added the liquor, vanilla extract and the egg yolks. This made it easier to incorporate the meringue. In my case, the mixture continued to remain a lump even after the addition of eggs and liquor. This meant that I had to use extra elbow grease to incorporate the first batch of meringue. The second batch was easier but the batter never really acquired the consistency like that in your video. It wasn't a homogeneous, albeit thick, pourable liquid like yours. The end result was that the souffle did rise but not like yours. It tasted great nevertheless.

BTW, the missus was exhausted and went off to sleep before I finished so I got a rain check for the llllllllooooots of compliments you promise in the video :). I have to do an encore now, so I really need to know what I should do to get a smooth batter. Should I wait for the dough to cool down before adding the eggs? Is unbleached flour the culprit?

I actually made this last night and the results were decidedly mixed. I followed your recipe faithfully. The only changes were that I used three 5 oz ramekins since I didn't have 8 oz ones. And I used all purpose "unbleached" flour. In your video although the dough is a lump when you transfer it to the mixing bowl, it turns into a thick liquid after you have added the liquor, vanilla extract and the egg yolks. This made it easier to incorporate the meringue. In my case, the mixture continued to remain a lump even after the addition of eggs and liquor. This meant that I had to use extra elbow grease to incorporate the first batch of meringue. The second batch was easier but the batter never really acquired the consistency like that in your video. It wasn't a homogeneous, albeit thick, pourable liquid like yours. The end result was that the souffle did rise but not like yours. It tasted great nevertheless.

BTW, the missus was exhausted and went off to sleep before I finished so I got a rain check for the llllllllooooots of compliments you promise in the video :). I have to do an encore now, so I really need to know what I should do to get a smooth batter. Should I wait for the dough to cool down before adding the eggs? Is unbleached flour the culprit?

The flour would not have been a factor. You must have had a stiffer dough than I, or it would have looked the same after adding the eggs and liquor. Might have just looked the same. Next time adjust your dough with more milk if it seems too stiff. Good luck!

Hi chef John,A trick to make very straight top- just run your thumb around the edge of the ramekin where the batter is filled all the way to the top ( yes i am creedy like you! ). I promise your souffle will always be straight :) Love your video!! Andria

Finally did the encore for the missus and it was a smashing success. The dough wasn't as stiff and I followed your instruction and added some milk before adding the egg whites. This kept it sufficiently runny and the end result was that ii had a souffle similar to yours. Also made the creme anglaise sauce and that too turned out great. It was almost set after I had refrigerated it for nearly 5 hours but a quick zap in the microwave followed by some half and half did the trick perfectly. Needless to say, the wife was very impressed and it seemed like a good way to celebrate women's day :-). The 2 year old too loved it. Thanks for the recipe and tips. This one is a keeper.

Chef John:First off, I love your show!!!I attempted to make this last night. The Creme Anglaise was amazing! The only problem I had was I could not get the roux correct. I put 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of (hot) melted butter and the same amount of flour into a pan on medium heat and it never formed into the dough, it simply stayed a liquid and eventually began to burn. I tried a second time and added more flour on my own and it did turn into a dough but the end product came out more like pound cake - which I'm sure is the result of my excess flour. So, how did I fudge up the roux??? Everyone else seems to have no problem with it. Should I have let the recently melted butter cool first? I was slightly embarassed in front of my date :( Good thing enough Creme Anglaise solves any problem!! :)

Hellloooo Chef John!First off, your shows have given me so much confidence in cooking! Thank you!

Secondly, I tried to make this yesterday but I couldn't get the roux right. I put 1tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of mellted butter and flour in an already heated (med) pan, but the roux never came together like in your video, it stayed liquid. I waited for a while, continued stirring, it never came together and just started burning. I tossed it and tried again, adding more flour this time, but I think it was too much flour, because although it became dough-like it was too think, unlike yours in the video, and the final product was more like pound cake.The creme anglaise was amazing!! How did I ruin the roux?! I put the melted butter in hot, would that mess it up?! Thank you for your help :) My girlfriend still loves me! yay

Finally made this tonight and the overwhelming response from the family was if I would also be making these tomorrow night or would I make that chocolate cake again (aka. your chocolate sour cream bundt cake). Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to post these videos and recipes. So far all of the ones I have made have turned out wonderful, including this one. I wish I had let the sauce sit overnight as it just keeps getting better the longer it sits and mingles, but it was still darn good after a quick 30 minute rest.

Hi Chef John, My husband and I (who are huuuuge fans of yours) tried this soufflé in 4 hands and worked beautifully, as all other recipes we've already tried from foodwishes.com.We absolutely love the videos and your sense of humour.

first of all I like your blog. I made souffle today but my souffle unsuccessful. they cracked and fell flat after I took out from the oven.My questions is why it happens? how do I prevent it? Thank you chef john.

Just made this as my first souffle! I noticed it did not rise as much as your and others videos show. I noticed your other souffle videos call for more milk, 1 cup vs 1/4 cup (this is a trend I see in many other souffle videos). Is the 1/4 cup here accurate, to my eye there is more than 1/4 milk in your video. Just a thought, I'll be trying your recipe with 1 cup milk soon to see if it makes a difference!

P.S. I've become a rockstar cook among my friends thanks to your videos, thank you so much!

Hi Chef,Made this recipe for my wife this weekend. Wow! Big hit. First, I started with your Apple Cider glazed Pork Chops with a side of your slow cooked green beans along with a salad. Enjoyed this meal with a Fetzer Gewurtz and finished with the Grand Marnier soufflé with Crème Anglaise. My wife loved it!

I think sometimes a recipe does not come out well is because making a roux needs vigourous stirring until it becomes smooth. Whisking egg whites into a meringue needs to have no residue of grease, egg yolks or water in the bowl. I think whether the dish is a success also depends on knowing basic cooking techniques too that can make or break a dish.

hello Chef Jhon!!! I am a huge fa of your dishes! I very often make your recipes !!! you are a great chef 👏🏼👏🏼last night I tried to make the grand Marnier soufflé but I didn't work out so wellI used 9oz ramikens ! so 1 of them I filled just until the line I think it might be a 1/4 inch below the top ( and it was a disaster, instead of rising up it spiiled everywhere down😭 ) and the other one I filled 2/3 of it ) and this just rose less an inch over the ramekin and its top was all cracked 😭) thanks for your attention, I hope you could help me solve this problem thanks again